A nuclear power plant makes it possible to generate electricity from nuclear energy.
A nuclear power plant is the industrial installation that generates electrical energy from nuclear energy . Its operation usually occurs from fissile material that, through nuclear reactions, acts as fuel and provides heat for the movement of alternators that convert mechanical work into electrical energy.
It should be noted that central is what belongs to or is related to the center . This term has several meanings: it can refer to the space where coordinate actions converge; to the interior point equidistant from the limits of a surface; to the region that concentrates the busiest streets in a town; to the institute that carries out research; to the basic or essential of something; and to the facilities where electrical energy is produced.
Nuclear , on the other hand, is that belonging to or relating to the nucleus or nuclear energy (produced by atomic reactions of fusion or fission). If we expand the concept of nuclear energy, we can say that it is the energy released, either spontaneously or artificially, during nuclear reactions .
Characteristics of a nuclear power plant
The nuclear reactor has a container with radioactivity-insulating material, which is filled with fissile material. The energetic process involves generating a sustained and controlled reaction from auxiliary elements called moderators , which absorb the excess of released neutrons. Around the core of the nuclear reactor is a reflector that returns part of the neutrons released during the reaction to the core.
A special shield around the reactor and a cooling circuit complete the main facilities of a nuclear power plant.
The location of a nuclear power plant cannot be chosen at random, but rather it is necessary to consider a large number of variables , given that high-risk processes for living beings are carried out in its facilities. However, there are several examples of plants in unsuitable areas, or that do not have the necessary infrastructure to deal with potential emergencies.
The operation of a nuclear power plant carries various risks.
Risk situations
Some examples of nuclear power plants that pose a risk:
Metsamor nuclear power plant
It is the only one in Armenia ; An envoy from the European Union classified it in 2004 as a danger to the entire region , while trying to reach an agreement to close it, something that was not achieved. This nuclear power plant was built in 1976 in a region of high seismic risk by the USSR and provides around 40% of the energy necessary to supply the more than 3 million inhabitants of Armenia, for whom its facilities are a national pride and a progress symbol.
Fukushima I
This Japanese plant represents the greatest nuclear risk on the planet today. After the earthquake and tsunami that took place on March 11, 2011, which left its facilities in ruins, many leaks of radioactive particles have been recorded in the sea and in the subsoil in its vicinity. The severity of the situation reached such a point that the government considered the possibility of evacuating the 36 million inhabitants of the Tokyo metropolitan area, despite being 250 kilometers away from the plant.
Indian Point
According to the United States Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission, this nuclear power plant has reached the point where immediate attention is required to assure the population that it is not exposed to any risk that cannot be faced. This statement took place shortly after an explosion of a transformer inside the plant, which paralyzed its reactors. If an earthquake were to hit its area, it is believed that Indian Point would be highly vulnerable. In this case, it is not about the location itself, but about the poor infrastructure to resist the force of an earthquake.